Educating the Public; The Royal Proclamation and Idle No More

7/27/2019 Educating the Public; The Royal Proclamation and Idle No More

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Educating the Public;THE ROYAL PROCLAMATION AN

IDLE NO MOR

NSSA

NATIV

STUDIE

STUDENT

ASSOCIATIO

OCTOBER 7TH, 2013

THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF THEROYAL PROCLAMATION



Tansi. Namoya nântaw. Jeannie Paul

nitisîyihkâson, Alexander First Nation ochi nîya.

Ekwa nîya currently a 4th year student at the

University of Alberta pursuing a Major in Native

Studies with a Minor in Sociology. I am also the

executive vice-president for the Native Studies

Student Association (NSSA). I would like to

express my gratitude by strongly

acknowledging the students at the University of

Alberta for their contributions to this 'zine'. Our

goal was to engage and encourage the students

at the university to share and express their ideas,

opinions, and any possible connections towards

the Royal Proclamation of 1763 and it's anniversary marking 250 years, also

with recognition to the National Day of Action for Idle No More. Furthermore,

we at the NSSA felt it was important that the students share their knowledge

while exploring their individual creativeness through their piece of

work. Again, thank you to the students for their contributions and I hope you

enjoy the 'zine'!

Hiy Hiy. -Jeannie Paul

On the 250th anniversary of the Royal

Proclamation of 1763, I thought it was important

that we reflect on this document that influences

our studies and lives to such an extent. Many

people call this document the Indigenous Manga

Carta because it confirms Indigenous Sovereignty

Others don’t believe we should seek this sort of

colonial recognition. I think it’s important to

acknowledge it as part of our history and the role i

played in Supreme Court decisions like

Calder and Delgamuukw. Just as these courts are

colonial instruments, the proclamation is the same, no doubt, but sometimes

we have to utilize these tools. This does not mean forgetting our traditions or

legal systems. Stephen Harper called the Royal Proclamation “the foundation

of the First Nation Crown relationship”. October 7th

is a time to ask: is this therelationship we want? Many of our zine entries have expanded on that

question. - Emily Riddle



Hey everyone, I’m Harley Morris, a secondyear student in a combined degreeprogram with the Faculty of Native Studiesand the Faculty of Education. I’m currentlyhe councilor for native studies students onhe UofA students union, as well as the

reasurer for the NSSA. I’d like to begin byhanking you for taking the time to look andhe pieces that were put together by

people that our passionate about gettingknowledge art and ideas out there. TheNSSA is proud to be able to represent thediverse views of students and the

mportance of public education on important indigenous issues; I hopeyou enjoy the pieces we have collected.

Mashi Cho -Harle Morris

Tânsi! My name is Montana Cardinal

and I am from Wabasca, Alberta. I am

currently a fourth year Native Studies

Major and Art and Design Minor. I amhe communications manager for the

NSSA, and loving it so far. I’m so

hankful to everyone who contributed,

and thankful for us to share our

creations, writings, stories, ideas, and

opinions to the magazine. I hope you

enjoy what these people have createdo share and that you learn something

new from viewing this book of ideas.

Hiy-hiy - Montana Cardinal

3



The Royal Proclamation is adocument that set outguidelines for Europeansettlement of Aboriginaltraditional lands in what is

now North America. KingGeorge III initially issued theRoyal Proclamation in 1763to officially claim Britishterritory in North Americaafter Britain won the SevenYears War. In the Royal

Proclamation, ownershipover North America is issuedto King George. However,the Royal Proclamation

explicitly states that Aboriginal title has existed and continuesto exist, and that all land would be considered Aboriginal land

until ceded by treaty. The Proclamation forbade settlers fromclaiming land from the Aboriginal occupants, unless it has beenfirst bought by the Crown and then sold to the settlers. TheRoyal Proclamation further sets out that only the Crown canbuy land from First Nations.

WHAT IS THE ROYAL

PROCLAMATION?

http://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/home/land-rights/aboriginal-title.html





It is a founding legal document of First Nations land

rights. Treaty implementation became a hot issue

during the Idle No More grassroots protests, with First

Nations leaders demanding the federal governmentimplement what they referred to as "nation-to-nation"

negotiations about how to implement the terms of the

treaties signed long ago. The Royal Proclamation is

important for aboriginal and non-aboriginal people to

realize the history and relationship they have with each

other, and hopefully come to a realization. A realization

that the Nation’s that make up the Aboriginal people

deserve to be

recognized; and

as a country we

have to workforward to a better

future for

everyone.

WHY IS THE ROYAL

PROCLAMATION

IMPORTANT?



The Recidivist Red Road

I can’t remember the last time I felt whole, perhaps I never have...maybe that’s why I’m

here. If these walls could talk, people would know the truth, the pain, the irrevocable

despair. They would know my story, and they would see how the history of an entire

nation has already been written. For my brothers and sisters…we all share related paths.

If these walls could talk, they would speak of my faith, my resilience, the true underlying

being that is me. Most folks claim they have no idea how they ended up behind bars, but

not me, I know exactly how I came to be here…a story which ain’t all that different from

any other “Indian” whom embodies the revolving door syndrome.

Like many that have come before me, I know little of my mother and father. I heard

stories...many of which I am sure to be distortions foretold by foster mothers and fathers

engrained with an upbringing of racially-fuelled preconceived ideas of what it means to

be an Indian in Canada. My mother was a “succubus” and my father a “thieving junkie”.

At 4 years old you’re world is a narrow existence, and although I knew not what these

words meant, the undoubted tone associated with them, told me I was a bastard,

illegitimate mistake. I tried as best I could to fly under the radar, I swept, mopped, kept

my room clean, and was quiet…but it never seemed to make one bit of difference, I

always got beat. I was the first of one little, two little, three little Indian children the

Vanderwells took in and nothing more than a government cheque…eventually, I came to

embrace it.

I feel for those “proactive Injuns” I really do. They go to school, they pay their rent on

time, and they wait their turn. They do all they can in an effort not to be greater than, but

merely equal to the rest of society and it all goes without being seen. They resist the

stereotypical ideals of the “drunken neechie”, the “Indigenous gangster”, or the single

mother on welfare…not me. I embraced the labels and resisted authority, the former

sounds not only exhausting, but…degrading as well. I remember the very first instance in

which I truly felt acknowledged. I was six, and wandering around I.G.A waiting for Mrs.

Vanderwell to get the fine-shaved meat slices I wasn’t allowed to eat when, I saw it. Thecover had Sandy McCarthy on it; it was majestic, like looking into a mirror for the first

time and recognizing a fearless warrior lives within me; a hockey hero I could resonate

with. I knew Mrs. Vanderwell wouldn’t get it for me, she never got me anything with tha

government money…I didn’t “deserve more than the clothes on my back and the food in

my belly”. So I did the most logical thing I could think of, I stuffed it into my coat of

many colours and headed for the door. I got no more than two feet from the door when I

felt a shar , searin ain…it was Mrs. Vanderwell tu in at m ear



yelling at me “just what do you think you’re doing Ralphie!? You are going to put that

back and apologize to Mr. Boisvert right now! How dare you embarrass me this way…

Clearly the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!” She made a complete example out of

me, but up until that point I don’t ever remember my foster mother ever coming

anywhere close to touching me. Mr. Vanderwell disciplined us and she had the

obsessive-compulsive, “germaphobe” thing…I felt recognized.

From then on, my crippling desire for attention greatly outweighed my tendency to do

right by anyone. The Vanderwells put me in Catholic school, how ironic…the last

residential school closed in 1996, yet religion was still being forced down my throat,

literally. Each morning before we ate our snacks we prayed, lunch was delayed by more

prayer, and we couldn’t leave until we prayed…it was like a prison, except in prison,

church is optional, thank God . I was admired and adored for my daily displays of

audacity in the classroom; the guys idolized me and the girls worshiped me. This pattern

carried on well into my teens until my foster parents kicked me out when my girlfriendat the time got pregnant. Despite my demeanor, I wanted so desperately to do right by

my child, but at every turn I came up against a brick wall. We tried living together in

sobriety but couldn’t receive subsidy or welfare with my income in the home, so I had

to leave and when I left…so did my sanity. Without my family I couldn’t stay grounded.

I drank and used to numb the pain of losing my family, without recognizing my choices

were only driving them further from me. I stole, sold, and begged for survival. I was a

drunken thief and a junkie…the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

My first court case was theft under $5000, and I had legal aid assisting me with

attaining the “best possible outcome”. My lawyer could care less about my well being,

she was there appointed to me for a subsidized price, not because she genuinely wanted

to help. Needless as it is to say I was thrown in jail and given a record at the tender age

of 19, but I was considered an adult fully capable of making rational, socially conscious

choices in the province of Alberta. When I got out I wanted to make a real change, I

wanted to be one of those “proactive Injuns” who stand in line and make good on the

light bill, but the system is skillfully crafted to push you in the same direction. I madeuse of Aboriginal resources and underwent training and certification, but my record

often came back to haunt me. I was perceived as a risk and liability, over a human

being. I tried counseling but often felt as though the person speaking to me was simply

doing a job, they didn’t care about me, so I stopped going. I went to AA for a while but

all those white people and their “first world problems” made me unsympathetic to the

program, so I stopped going and eventually…I stopped caring altogether.



The second time I came up against the courts was for possession; I represented myself and

did a far better job of it than a lawyer ever did. I was granted conditions and at first

believed I got a good deal, but quickly realized the dexterous design of the judicial system

will always be two steps ahead of me. My conditions were not to drink…but I am an

alcoholic; not to fraternize with certain individuals…my sole interactions for the past 7

years; not to engage in any criminal activity…how I have learned to survive; hold down a

steady job...who will hire me with a criminal record? Expectantly, it didn’t take long before

I was in front of the Judge again, this time for aggravated assault against a fella’ trying to

commit sexual assault; I was the protagonist in this story, but in the end depicted as the

villain…story of my life. Some people question as to how it’s possible that Aboriginal

people make up merely 4% of the Canadian population, but yet we somehow account for

approximately 23% of the prison population. My story is a pattern, a pattern that reflects

the lives of many, if not every Aboriginal person bound behind bars. This is why my

Aboriginal sisters are the only female group currently being overrepresented, and my

brothers keep coming back. Our women are victimized and exploited in a cyclical cycle;

just as our men come to be criminalized in a bias system.

I can’t remember the last time I felt whole, but I do know who I am. I am the epitome of th

“Indigenous thug”, the essence of the recidivist, the poster-child for the “apathetic Injun”.

But, I did not come to bare this mark as “the other” on my own…I had help. If I may,

before I conclude, I’d like to thank those who have contributed to my criminalization.

Thank you to the shopkeeper who took one look at my tattoos and said “we’ll call you”, bu

never did. Thank you to the Honorable Judge Brian Carleton for failing to see the person

within, but the shabby Indian with an “undoubtedly dismal future”. I want to thank the

prestigious Canadian education system, for teaching me that the history of my people has

already been written and for teaching others that there is no place for Aboriginal people in

society. Finally, I’d like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Vanderwell because without your racist

remarks, candid coldness, and relentless abuse, I may have grown into a functional, sociall

responsible individual. Really…thank you. In conclusion… Do I feel I have been

rehabilitated? No. Do I believe that I can live harmoniously within society? No. I am an

Aboriginal man; it is others who cannot live harmoniously with me. I am beyond a person

with potential. The system has defeated me; it found me young and vulnerable, alone and in

pieces. Longing for belonging is the prerequisite for gang affiliation, lack of opportunity

and resources are determinant factors of criminal activity. I am not an outlaw; I am an

outlier in dominant society, yet I am not a statistical infrequency amongst my own people;

pattern that is clearly no accident. Can I ever be rehabilitated? The answer – I have found –

lies not within me, but within all of you.



King Louis’ Covenant

250 Years

(nîswâw-mitahtahtomitanaw niyânanomitanaw)

Like

Jesus

Who floated

InCoffin ships

back in 38

We continue

our journey

Into this

Very old war

Where shall

I go?

No time

for writing

new psalms

We

do not

want to go

Intothe dreamless

Peace of death

And lose

our children

And

Our nation

Lets giveReal battles

A taste

And be...

Idle No More.

The Royal Proclamation signed by King Louis III in 1763

October 7th, 2013, the 250 year Anniversary



Trample Indigenous people for agriculture, now rural Albertans for gasWho will become the next less fortunate to benefit the rich few?

CBC News reports that more than 170,000 fracking sites have been drilled in

Alberta in the last 60 years. Rural Albertans across the province have told horror

stories about flaming water, bubbling skin rashes, dead livestock, hair loss, the listgoes on.

Residents from the area met in Cochrane on September 15, 2012 to resist frackingactivity on their land. Tresidder, one of the affected residents reveals, ‘I’ve had

meetings with them to be sensible about this and be concerned with people’shealth and not just come in here and rape the country for the almighty dollar’.

Echo’s from the past. This is sounding similar to the concerns Indigenous peoplehad when their land was handed over to the European settlers for agriculture.

They were forced onto reservations that were mostly wastelands. They livedunder oppressive government rule with no economic future because Britainwanted more wealth.

After Canada formed as a country, there was a drive to expand to the prairies. Thenational police were initially formed to tame the west (Indians) and keep American

intruders out. The Indigenous people and their claim to the land was a threat to

Canada. They very quickly became labelled as dangerous criminals in need ofstrict rules and excessive policing.

The North-West Mounted Police had a section just for “Indians” in the 1894Revised General Orders handbook. Amongst a list of “how-to’s” includes,

“...attention of officers is drawn to the number of Indians constantly hanging aboutthe settlements for immoral purposes...Indians should not be allowed to camp

adjacent to towns unless they have passes.” It became illegal for Indigenous

people to move about on the land they called home for thousands of years. Theywere painted as unlawful people.

In the same way, law enforcement attention is drawn to Jessica Ernst a Rosebud,Alberta resident, a biologist and environmental consultant for the oil and gas

industry. She is currently suing EnCana, the Alberta Resources Conservation

Board and the Alberta government for the fracking occurring on her land. Duringthe presentation entitled “Truth and Consequences of Fracking” Ernst states, ‘They

sent the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to intimidate, we had served the parties

their legal papers... I am really scared... I have been declared an enemy of thestate.’ These bullying tactics are harmful to Indigenous and non-Indigenous

people. It doesn’t matter who you are.



ronically, rural Albertans who live on lands that used to be the homes ofndigenous people have become expendable like the “Indians”. Back then, the

homesteaders were within their legal right to take over the land just like the oiland gas companies have the legal right to extract resources from the land.Fracking is not illegal in Alberta and the oil and gas companies have sub-surfacights to certain tracts of land.

n the capitalist system, it appears that people will not complain if the rich fewake them under their wing. The European settlers were useful when the mone

maker of the day was agriculture. Now, rural Albertans have been pushed asidbecause they reside on the surface of potential gas prospects. Where does itend?

Laws are made by people. Throughout history, laws have changed. It is noonger acceptable to burn witches at the stake. This practice is inhumane and

barbaric. Likewise, kicking people off their land or creating health risks that mat impossible to live there is also dehumanizing and brutal.

t is time people join together and stand up for one another. The conquer anddivide tactics using race, class, sex and so on are excuses to funnel the riches a small percentage of the population. Everyone needs a seat at the table. Theich few don’t get to consume it all at once. Stop and think before stomping on

someone else to get a bigger crumb than your neighbour while the rich few get

98% plus of the pie. At this rate, there will not be any planet left to fight over.

Start by researching the topic. Have conversations with people to find out theirstories. Be critical of the most popular story of the day. People usually havegood reason for being upset. Help lobby for someone else’s injustices. In turnhey can help you. Organize groups. Find commonalities to foster unity in ordero stand up to the rich few.

f you keep ignoring the troubles of your neighbour, you could easily become thnext to be “fracked”.

*Bibliography on Page



Five Hundred Nations

Five Hundred Nations once were We...

The Peoples Who once owned this country.

Five Hundred Nations still are We...

Peoples kept alive through history.

Cultures of some may have vanished,

Though their tribal members survive.Some, not all, may be vanquished...

But all of which We will revive.

All Our Nations deserve to flourish

As once They did in the past.

All Our Nations again will nourish

As it’s Our time that’s come at last.

For this is the time of which was spoken

To revive Old Traditions and Ways...To repair the spirits that have been broken

and prepare for the coming days.

Days which We’ve long been told would come

When the Red Man would conquer his foes

And all the obstacles He would overcome,

As in number and strength He grows.

Look to the Heavens and feel the Earth...

Await the signs that will appear...

And take to your heart their full worth...

They’ll let Us know when Our time is here.

Days which We’ve long been told would come

When the Red Man would conquer his foes

And all the obstacles He would overcome,

As in number and strength He grows.

Look to the Heavens and feel the Earth...Await the signs that will appear...

And take to your heart their full worth...

They’ll let Us know when Our time is here.

Five Hundred Nations We’ll be again...

And We’ll resume Our rightful place.

Five Hundred Nations We’ll be...’til then,

Dream of an all-powerful Red Race.

Author Unknown



Bibliography

Burning water: a new western. Directed by Cameron Esler, Tadzio Richards. Montreal: Bunbury Films & On

Media in association with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation News Network, 2010. DVD

The Lauridsen’s of Rosebud, Alberta are concerned about the effects contaminated water on their hea

and lifestyle. Fiona Lauridsen is an activist trying to stop Encana Corporation from “fracking” in the

vicinity of the small town. However, many community members welcome the activity as it is a sourc

of revenue for the community. Fiona’s husband does not want to be the troublemakers that are pushe

out by community members. The community would like to her to be quiet.

Ernst, Jessica.“Truth and Consequences of Fracking”, Ernst v. Encana Corporation, accessed September 20,

2012, http://www.ernstversusencana.ca/contact Jessica

Ernst a biologist and consultant for the oil and gas industry is suing Encana Corporation for the impa

“fracking” has had on her life in rural Alberta. Ernst has a comprehensive website about her story an

links to other stories and facts regarding “fracking”. The link provided on the website, listed above,

presentation she is delivering about her struggle, including how she has been deemed a national threa

Canada.

North-West Mounted Police Revised General Orders 1894, The Samuel Steele Collection, Bruce Peel Specia

Collections Library, University of Alberta

The book serves as a guideline for the national police on a range of matters from leave of absences to

dealing with “Indians”. The section entitled Indians instructs that transacting business is to be done

through Indian Agents, when in custody they are to be taken into restaurants, hotels and are to be fed

bulk food, they are to be kept away from settlements, druken Indians are to be arrested and Indian

prisoners are not to be allowed to leave the guard room without a ball and chain.

Patel, Raj. The value of nothing: why everything costs so much more than we think. Toronto: Harper Collins,

2009.

Raj Patel asserts that what we pay for a product does not realistically match the actual costs to produ

eg. Environmental, human and health costs. Further, the corporation’s production is often heavily

subsidized. He explores the history of the market society through sociological and other lenses.

“Residents concerned about fracking rally in Cochrane”, CBC News Calgary, accessed September 20, 2012,

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2012/09/15/calgary-fracking-rally.html

CBC News in Calgary reported on a rally against “fracking” in the Cochrane area. The residents clai

list of adverse effects caused by the “fracking” activity. They want more environmentally friendly

extraction techniques to be used.

Thobani, Sunera. Exalted subjects: studies in the making of race and nation in Canada. Toronto: University

Toronto Press, 2007.

Thobani reviews nation-building in Canada by outlining the history and populations involved.

Specifically, the mechanisms used to; “exalt” Euro pean citizens, create the lawless Aboriginals witho

rights and the othering of immigrants. One of the ways she explores these relationships is within the

context of colonial and global capitalism and the associated governance and legal frameworks that

legitimize and uphold them.

"What is Fracturing?." Business In Calgary 21, no. 10 (2011): 35.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (listed as others in the text) and the Alberta

government is attempting to convince the public that hydraulic fracturing is safe when managed

properly. These stakeholders are attempting to counteract the misinformation surrounding the

technology that has caused concern. They claim that it does not affect the groundwater.


http://www.ernstversusencana.ca/contact







Page 6: Madeline Whetung

Page 7: Jeannie Paul

Page 8: Kristen McArthur



Page 11: Madeline Whetung

Page 12: Emily Riddle


Page 14: Sharlotte Cardinal



Page 17: Nola Nallugiak

Page 18: Nola Nallugiak

Page 19: Jeannie PaulPage 20: Author Unknown

Page 22: Emily Riddle

23

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you to everyone who helped contribute to this zine and

everyone who helped make it possible. We hope that you

enjoy it and that you learn something new. Thank you.

Cover art by Montana Cardinal.“The turtle symbolizes Turtle Island and the many generations of Aboriginal people in Canada.

The Churches and the black robe figures that the leeching down of the black liquid stems from,describes the intergenerational affects felt throughout residential school survivors and their

families.”



This product was printed on environmentally

friendly flax paper and in this case online

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